The start of the school year means new clothes, new classes, new friends and a new system of representation in the Student Government Association.Students are no longer represented in the House of Student Representatives by where they live, rather by class, school and college.

There are 56 seats in the House. Each class gets two representatives, while the number of representatives for the schools and colleges is proportionate to the number of students majoring in that program, said Sebastian Moleski, chairman of the Elections and Regulations Committee.

SGA president David Watson said the new system means more representatives to voice the concerns of their constituents and change the focus to academic programs.

“Instead of ‘I need money to buy a pingpong table for Clark,’ it’s going to be ‘I need more money for the Schieffer School of Journalism, for TCU News Now,'” Watson said.

Students’ reactions to the new system are mixed. Although some people are skeptical about the level of interest, others think the new system will help students.

Melissa Fleischer, a sophomore biology major, said she thinks the new system is a good idea.

“It will be beneficial because a student’s major is more important than their dorm life,” Fleischer said.

However, Courtney McGill, a junior entrepreneurial management major, disagrees. She said she does not think the new system will benefit students.

“I don’t think it will help the situation because people will have to run and not many people will be interested,” McGill said.

Moleski said the new system of representation was the result of research done last semester. A committee of representatives from different on-campus organizations was formed to find problems and possible solutions, and surveys were given to students.

The committee and surveys found that off-campus students were underrepresented and that most students thought a student’s major and classification were more important than where they lived. The committee proposed the new system now in place.